SOUTHPORT, NC August 7, 2014 – Thirty-six years ago a group of forty community leaders met and decided that they needed an event to showcase the great fall fishing Southport-Oak Island area has to offer. Those community leaders signing a promissory note at a local financial institution guaranteed the $10,000 first place prize money for the first tournament – thus the U.S. Open King Mackerel Tournament was born.

2013 US Open King Mackerel Tournament

The U.S. Open King Mackerel Tournament is one of the largest king mackerel tournaments on the East Coast of the United States attracting 425 boats in 2013. An all CASH GUARANTEED prize structure adds to the enjoyment of the event. The tournament guarantees its entire prize structure; it is not based on the number of boats that participate. Lots of cash and ways to win! The tournament pays 55 places in its primary prize category including $25,000 for the largest king mackerel. Thirty sponsors such as the Primary Sponsor, Southport Marina and Grand Patron sponsors, BEMC, Dosher Memorial Hospital, add 50 more supplementary cash prizes to the event.

New for 2014 are Daily Aggregate Weight Prizes and Junior Angler Awards. The Daily Aggregate Weight Prizes are sponsored by Sea//Tow and the tournament. Each day a $1,000 Aggregate Prize will be given to the boat that catches the most poundage from combining the weights from two or three fish. Since the Aggregate Prize will be part of the Primary Prize Category and you can only win one Primary Prize, the 1st -9th place largest fish will not win the Aggregate Prize.

The Junior Angler Awards sponsored by Orpine Boat Soap and the tournament will be presented to Junior Anglers (children age 14 and under) during the Awards Ceremony on Saturday. Every registered Junior Angler present at the ceremony will receive an award as a way to recognize those young anglers in the tournament.

Don’t fish? There’s still plenty of excitement going on at the Southport Marina. Thursday and Saturday nights there will be entertainment. Enjoy A Music Man DJ Rodney spin your favorite tunes on Thursday night from 4pm-7pm and Chris Wright on Saturday night from 4:30pm-7pm. The smell of cooking fish will be in the air on Saturday as the Brunswick County Shrine Club will hold a good old-fashioned fish fry beginning at 3pm. Fish plates are $8.00.

Pictured left to right with the 2013 winning fish – Wayne Berry, 2013 U.S. Open King Mackerel Tournament Chairperson, Duncan Hilburn, Tournament Board of Directors, Captain John E. Lewis and Stephen Varnedoe, Tournament Volunteer

Can’t make it to the tournament or want to check out the weigh-ins from the convenience of your home? PointClickFish.com will stream weigh-ins at the scales LIVE from the U.S. Open King Mackerel Fishing Tournament on Friday from 2pm-5pm and Saturday from 2pm-4pm. You can pick up the link to the live feed from the tournament website at www.usopenkmt.com

Friday is always exciting as the boats rush to checkout between 7:00am-9:00am at Lockwood Folly Inlet, N.C. Baptist Assembly Pier at Fort Caswell, Little River, Masonboro Inlet and Snows Cut. The action really heats up between 3:00pm and 4:00pm when the boats line up to weigh in at Southport Marina before the scales close. Have some refreshments, buy a T-shirt and enjoy the fun. Saturday’s fishing is over at 4:00pm with the awards ceremony at 7pm.

This year’s tournament will be held October 3rd and 4th at the Southport Marina, Southport North Carolina with registration on Thursday, October 2nd from 10am until midnight.

Visit with tournament sponsors like Coastal Carolina Fisherman, Sea//Tow and Bob King Buick, GMC, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz on Thursday and Saturday.

Tournament details are available on our website, www.usopenkmt.com, or for a brochure contact the Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce, 4433 Long Beach Road, SE, Southport, NC 28461. (910) 457-5787 or (800) 457-6964 or e-mail us at events@southport-oakisland.com .

About the author

Michael "Beach Mick" Hudson is the founder and Editor of Beach Carolina Magazine. Living along the coast of North Carolina, Mike has a passion for the beach and loves to bring news and events of the Carolinas to others around the world.

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